A bit difficult to understand how vehicle circulation and parking affect the area in question, and additional shots in the direction away from the house towards the street would also help give context to your questions. It would also help if you posted a plan of the area with dimensions, and some rough sketch of your planting areas proposed and driving/parking areas as they border this area.

Just an initial reaction to your idea of using a weeping willow to screen the utilities/heat pump, the tree might be too large, and something more shrub sized would do this better. Realize that weeping willows get huge, and shouldn't be planted too close to the house, and would turn what may now be full sun into dense shade in summer.

I would be tempted to propose using a large scale ground cover to unify the space if you don't want lawn, and stick with woodsy type plantings and evergreen shrubs and ferns such as Nandina, Daphne, Osmanthus, Choisya, Pittosporum tobira, Fatsia; or some PNW natives like salal, Ribes, Vaccinium, Toyon, Mahonia, etc., and some interesting contrasting deciduous shrubs such as Edgeworthia, Hydrangeas, Exbury Azaleas, etc., massed amongst ground covers for a natural effect. Which of these you would use would also depend on whether you intend to irrigate in summer, what your soils and drainage are like, etc.

You will probably get more useful feedback if you take this a little further on your own, before you ask for advice. It would also be useful to hire a local landscape designer to give you a consultation, especially as regards to adding structures and figuring out how to lay out the new garden. I like your idea of transplanting the Japanese Maple as a memorial to your father, and good luck with the project.

If you dad did that woodwork over there Mary you have a fine memorial. Don't you need a shed of some sort to put all that stuff in? Does the ground go up and then down again towards the house? It looks that way in the picture. Dig out all the plants around your foundation, reconsider the weeping willow, I have three down by the river that drop branches when you fart then a wind sent by MN means major clean up but the biggy was that beavers felled one to get to the new buds. I guess my input amounts to clean up the area, even remove the flag pole with the searchlight on the top and take the pictures bahia suggests, oh and ditch the self denigrating "trailer trash".

Here is another picture looking towards where you enter from the street. Unfortunately, we really need this parking area, because there is no off street parking to speak of and we are "party central" during the summer. I tried to draw a sketch of the planting area in photoshop with no luck, I always lose at pictionary too. The area is 31.5 feet in length and will come out 10 feet from the house. The shorter side is 12 feet long by 7 feet wide. The area is flat where the planting area will be, as well as where the parking is. There is a slope up to the road but that is behind the parking area.

The soil is pretty compacted right now but will be tilled. It is pretty sandy, but well draining. Our sprinkler system does water this area.

All of the "crap" will be gone soon, when DH finishes cleaning out his shop to make way for all of my Dad's woodworking equipment. And inkognito, we are going to build a shed behind the red SUV in the picture. Mainly to house the lawn equipment since the shop will be very full with the stuff from my Dad's shop.
We are going to change out the street light, but we really need it there just so cars see the curve in the road at night. Car's hit the guardrail all of the time due to excessive speed or ice, and we even had a car go off the road, airborne and land on top of our truck.
I will give up on the weeping willow. I love California Lilac, I was thinking of some grass, and I do want some height to mask the electrical panel. I like the idea of shrubs underplanted with groundcover.

The back and inside of our house is lovely, but this has always been the eyesore. I always thought that it was weird that there was no door in the front. We have 3 doors, but they are on the sides and lakeside. I thought that maybe a pergola would create the impression of an entrance.

Mary.
I am assuming that the entry to your house is along the side where the deck is visible with the lake beyond? It looks from the last photo that you park at least 3 vehicles in this area, and the entire area nearest the house, to the inside of the light pole could be garden, which would be more of a square 30 foot across?

I'd suggest adding more of an evergreen screen between the driveway/light pole to give your deck more privacy from the street. Maybe even add an accent evergreen tree in this area such as Arbutus 'Marina' with other 4 to 6 foot tall evergreens below to give you some privacy beyond. If you created a "Peninsula" of plantings extending from the light pole towards the area where the boat motors are stored, and then wrapped a curving walk around this and back to the side deck, with more larger evergreens off this corner of the house, you could create the start for a lush entry garden that would screen the side yard from street, while also creating a nice entry garden. The pathway might be as simple as gravel with large flagstone step pads, and a small section of trellis fence off the corner of the house with vines could also add to the effect.

You sound like you have lots of options as to plantings with irrigation provided and well drained sandy soil. I'd suggest keeping the plantings simple with lots of repeated massings of whatever you use. Layering the garden beds with massed low ground cover, repeated low growing herbaceous plants or ferns, and some key larger specimen shrubs might do the trick. If you don't want or need year round screening from evergreens between your side yard and street, you might also consider using flowering small trees/large shrubs such as Magnolia stellata or M. soulangeana cultivars as your accents. I bet flowering trees such as Cornus 'Eddie's Wonder White' dogwood would also do well for you. Some easy to grow perennials such as Bear's Breach/Acanthus mollis and Bergenia crassifolia could also give year round good looks with some seasonal color. Chartreuse foliage accents such as low growing Acorus gramineus 'Ogon', or the taller shrubby Choisya ternata 'Sundance' would also brighten up the winter dark if used in mass. Other woodsy plants with late winter color might include Ribes sanguineum or Edgeworthia chrysantha, either of which are already blooming now here in northern California.

Your planting zone is much colder than I usually deal with here in California (USDA zones 9~10 is more my norm), so you should get specific ideas from people more local to you, or visit good botanic gardens such as the one in Seattle. I hadn't really noticed the view of the lake in your first photos, and can see that this must be awfully inviting in summer, and why your house becomes "party central".

You might also try posting this on the PNW gardenweb forum, to get more specific advice for your area. If you wanted to get some tropical flare going, you could also consider using some of the hardier palms such as Trachycarpus fortunei or T. wagneriana, and die back to the ground perennials such as Tetrapanax papyriferous. the Acanthus mollis and Bergenia have abit of tropical foliage aspect to them as well, although both are perfectly hardy in zone 7b conditions.

You are correct that the entry is on the side of the house where the deck is. Although I would love to plant in the area you suggested, my spouse is adamantly apposed to it, because he wants to be able to drive a truck into the side yard when needed. I have a 50x60 foot shade garden in the back and he doesn't want to have to haul mulch that far. The garden that you see by the light pole was just planted last September with the intention of creating a barrier from the street. It will take a few years for the shrubs to mature to that size but it was planted with that in mind.

So the only area that I can plant is the L shaped area I described. I like the idea of repeating the plants and mixing evergreen and deciduous shrubs. We will grade and re-gravel the driveway as well. The path would work too, and we could still drive over it when needed. I was considering a dwarf evergreen (prior to the weeping willow) but a gardening friend of mine thought that it would look too formal; my yard is pretty casual and natural. But I do need some height. I still can't get the pergola out of my mind either. I could plant some climbing vines on it and under plant it with shrubs, perennials and ground covers. We have many plants to choose from in the PNW so that won't be too hard. Thanks too for the tropical suggestions. I will research the plants you suggested. I love tropicals and fully intended to put out thermometers this winter and read/chart them in the mornings to determine where there might be some warmer microclimates on our property. Maybe next year.

I don't want to seem cruel, but,,,,

The first thing ya gotta do is get rid of all of the junk and what ever else is contributing to your mess. You really don't have any good way of looking at things with the boat motor, rusted flag pole, and any thing else that is laying around that simply does not belong in a yard. You really need a clean slate.

As for the truck issue. Having a nice looking yard/garden ain't gonna happen with that thing going back and forth in the yard. Sounds like you need to compromise with DH if you are ever going to get anywhere. Other wise, all of your hard work will be for naught.

SG

I believe Mary said that all that "crap" will be moved as soon as her husband cleans out the storage area and they build a new shed to house it. The "flag pole" is not a flag pole, it's a light post that Mary says is needed to light the road so cars can see around a dangerous curve. She added that it will be replaced with a new one.

There is plenty of potential in this space for some nice plantings and hardscape (a pergola or gazebo matching the redwood arch already there) would look nice. Good luck in getting the maple happily settled into its new landscape, Mary.

I love my curly willow. Did you know you can soak the branches and create your own rooting hormone water?
The first thing I noticed, becuase I had one is the rusty street light and low hanging electrical wires drapped over to your house. We buried our lines and took down the stupid pole. you wouldn't believe what a diffrence it made. I do love my willow but wonder if you have enough room.
I would also plant an evergreen hedge infront of the metal road deflector thingy. Not real sure why it is there. Is there a road back there.
is that a small magnolia in that bed? Is so it will be huge and there will be no room for a willow. From the looks of the front pictures you have a good eye. I like the arch alot.

I know that our place is a mess right now. My dad died, so we are emptying the garage to make way for all of his wood working equipment ~ he has every tool you can imagine and his shop is bigger than ours. It will all be gone by planting time.
The guard rail is there because there is a large curve and a hill the opposite direction of the road photo. Even though the speed limit is 25mph, people drive 50 on this road and this guard rail gets hit several times a year. We have been fighting black berries on the slope, but it is also covered with sweet pea and St. Johns Wart and is really pretty in the summer. I like the idea of planting an evergreen shrub there though ~ thanks.
My energy has primarily been focused on the lake side of the house and the side yard, plus, we spent 6 years gutting and remodeling the entire inside of the house ourselves. Now it is time to finish the landscaping.
The small tree that you see in my new garden is actually a Camellia tree ~ which should be blooming soon!

I really appreciate the helpful advice that I have received here. I have somewhat of a vision in my mind of what I want to do with this area. I like unusual and different things, and want to vary the height and texture, as well as evergreen and deciduous shrubs. I will definitely under plant with ground cover too ~ love that suggestion! I am also thinking about a flagstone path from the parking area to the deck and maybe building an arbor or archway at the end of the deck with some climbing vines for privacy.

The entire parking area should be paved or neatly covered with gravel. The sort of patchy bare dirt-then-weedy growth thing makes the whole house seem disheveled. You could even border the driveway/parking area with some of those beautiful pavers that you have by the arbor, to tie it all together. Keep all of your garden beds clearly edged, perhaps with said pavers. Good luck and have fun!

Alia

I agree that you should pave your parking area, most likely with gravel stones, from the point your driveway begins from the road to where you'll park. Pavers, stones, or something similar could be used to define the area and keep the gravel in place.

Alia's suggestion about covering your driving/parking space is a wise one. When we bought our house the driveway had a really small amount of gravel, a lot of dirt and a grass weed combo that was rapidly taking over. After laying down landscaping cloth and adding a couple of truckloands of 3/4 rock the parking space is much more clearly defined. I have to re rock every couple of years but this is well worth doing. We were fotunate in that the driveway was already defined by railroad ties on either side. You might consider that as a relatively inexpensive option for outlining your driveway also.

Good luck. Please let us know how things come together.

Kathryn